2021-01-22 06:32:57
June 1932 — December 2020
Mark B. Sandground Sr. passed away December 30, 2020 from cancer. He was 88 years old at the time of his death and still practicing law with his own firm. He was a member of the Virginia State Bar and the District of Columbia Bar for well over 60 years.
Born June 6, 1932, Sandground graduated from the University of Michigan in 1952 and from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1955. He received an Honorary Doctorate from Johnson & Wales in 2000. Sandground practiced throughout his entire legal career in the Washington DC area, officing in the District for 30 years before locating in Tysons Corner.
He founded a series of law firms specializing in matrimonial law. Wellknown in the field, he represented senators, congressmen, cabinet members, sports and entertainment celebrities, well-known (and obscure) artists, and even a few rock stars. He also frequently practiced outside his specialty, representing foreign governments in Washington as well as contractors doing business in the U.S. from abroad.
In addition to his law practice, he helped found several D.C. notable eateries in the 1970s including La Niçoise, and the D.C. branch of the Palm Restaurant. He was especially proud of his long association with the late, great Jean-Louis Palladin and great, late Michel Richard, and the current luminary Fabio Trabocchi. He was never happier than while at the table of a brilliant chef.
He was especially well-known in the Fairfax County Bar where he was a Circuit Court fixture at Friday mornings ‘motions practice,’ often juggling multiple matters before several different judges. His rivals feared his tactics which were sometimes aggressive (he relished scheduling depositions on weekends and holidays), but many of his colleagues were pleased to be in court with him because of his passion, commitment, and his irreverent wit.
Sandground’s son, Mark B. (“Chipp”) Sandground, is an attorney in Washington, D.C., at Mallios O’Brien & Sandground, and his granddaughter, Lauren Sandground, is an attorney in the Washington, D.C., office of KL Gates.
Published by Virginia State Bar. View All Articles.
This page can be found at http://virginialawyer.vsb.org/article/Mark+B.+Sandground+Sr./3863395/690953/article.html.